Journal Entries
by Borrowed Twenties
Summary: Old memories resurface when Jay opens his journal and reads about those moments again... JxT
1. Prologue

I'm the one who is a staunch believer of J/T, because... Just because. So here are bring to you yet another fic full of epic moments in the episodes where Jay has felt a twinge of something. This is probably going to be crazy, since I'll have to rewatch everything all over again, but I trust it will be absolutely fun to write. No, I just know it. So, please review and let me know what you think and whether you think I should bother continuing at all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Class of the Titans. There, short and sweet.

**Prologue**

Sighing, Jay grimaced as he heard the furious slam of the sturdy oak door in the room beside his. Theresa was in a foul temper alright - he had just asked her _politely_ whether she could give the visions a go and she had burst out at him, calling him a jerk, a pompous, overbearing leader and a person who pushed others too hard.

Okay, so maybe she had a little truth there, but pompous? Overbearing? Jerk? Those words did not apply to him at all! Besides, he was just caring for the world. Why was it no one seemed to see that?

He lay on his bed, frustrated at the turn of events this night. All the other teammates had quietly stared at him and dispered, with Odie patting him on the back sympathetically. And they had all left him standing there, staring at them in disbelief at their lack of concern for the matter regarding Cronus. Did they have any sense of responsibility at all? The answer was probably a flat-out no.

But then again, he was the leader. He was expected to carry this heavy burden, it was upon his shoulders, just like the world was.

At times like this, it was all he could do to try and escape from reality and hide in a world of fantasy where nothing went wrong, fantasies that began with his one of his other obsessions - ahem, he meant _loves_ - like Theresa.

Sighing again, he pulled out his private, confidential journal from under his bed, which was kept safely from others' eyes. It was personal, obviously, and he hadn't written rather secretive things there, stuff that he would want anyone to know - obviously not. One of the reasons why he didn't want anyone reading it was because it had a lot of journal entries pertaining to a certain someone who had lurked in his dreams for a long time.

However, tonight he wasn't in the mood for writing any of those journal entries. But maybe, he would just open it and read some of his past entries, the memorable ones that revolved around the girl next door (literally). Oh, he should, really, to keep him from stressing over his duties.

Opening the cover and his eyes stopping to rest on the first page, he smiled a little as he embarked on another journey - back to the past.


	2. Journal Entry 1

I've just re-watched Chaos 102 just for this chapter. Well, I guess I don't mind, it's great fun re-visiting those old episodes. To all those mothers out there, I wish you a very happy Mothers' Day! The journal entries are going to be rather short as they revolve around epic moments with Theresa. So, anyway, let's begin. Please review!

**Journal Entry 1**

_January 4_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was pretty much the same. Waking up in a different bed and a different room felt weird and strange, though. I guess I'm still not very adjusted to this routine yet. It's really sudden but I guess this world needs saving and I'm part of the team to do so. So I decided to keep a journal to record all these memories about the whole saving-the-world thing. Maybe one day I'll look back and read this journal and laugh or remember all the stuff we used to do._

_It was Herry, Atlanta and I who were found first, but today 3 new people joined our group. I watched in amazement as I saw Archie, one of our new members, leap and dive gracefully from the training put up by Ares. I see that he's descended from Archilles, maybe that's why his leg is in a clunky golden brace. An Archille's heel, literally. Anyway, he's still pretty talented. Way better than me, at least. I'm still standing here, wondering what a useless person like me is doing in a team like this - full of awesomely good people. All I can do is sail well, and I'm pretty sure that this isn't going to have much use to do Cronus in._

_Later, Hera called us in and introduced us to the other teammates that just arrived. I shook friends with Odie, an African-American. He seemed pretty friendly, although, frankly speaking, a little geeky. It so happens that he's also a genius - he messes with the computer and he is one with technology. Suddenly, I really feel like I'm in the wrong place. Maybe Hera's picked the wrong guy - who am I to lead a team? But I know better than to argue; Hera is a _goddess_ after all._

_And then, the other teammate - I was quite surprised to see a rather feminine-looking girl with long, orange, wavy hair greet me shyly. Somehow, she's not how I imagined the descendant of Theseus. Well, okay, maybe she does have a similarity there; she was really pretty - even if I wouldn't like to admit it, I felt somewhat attracted to her. Thankfully, I didn't blush and make a fool of myself, something which I expect I will do later in time to come. I was too busy thinking about how sweet and innocent she was looking and I almost freaked out when I heard Hera tell us that she had a psychic connection. I was thinking that she had probably read my thoughts and seen all those little dreams I've just started having about her._

_I almost sighed in relief when I heard her say that she hadn't mastered reading minds yet. Whew. I could have caught myself in a really uncomfortable situation there. But anyway, she can't read minds, so that's good enough for me. But I had better be on my guard not to slip up in front of her - that would be way embarrassing. Some leader I am. She seems pretty nice, but not the fighter type, really._

_Well, I was really wrong about her, as I found out later. She could handle the nunchucks she found in Ares' weapons storage. And she could wield them to perfection. So it turns out she's been a black belt at 12. Okay, so I shouldn't have belittled her - rich kids not necessarily be bad kids, and she definitely sends the stereotypical snobby rich kid to shame._

_We had another go with Cronus again, and we lost, it seems. Cronus used this crazy beam from his huge, sinister laser and he zapped something in outer space, making the sky glow a tinted blue. I have no idea what it is, but it doesn't look any bit good. Looks like we're in for some bad luck right now. Although we cut the power, I bet that Cronus is the least of our problems now. And we have to find the last member of the team to completely fulfill the prophecy. I wonder who he descended from, and what's he like. Maybe he's someone that will be the answer to all our problems. Well, I don't know, but I _do_ know that we need some luck now._

_Hopefully we'll manage to defeat Cronus and find that new guy. And I don't know why, but right now, I can't seem to be getting Theresa out of my mind. Okay, so that's partly the reason why I'm writing this entry before I'm going to sleep; she's giving me a bout of serious insommia, and it's only been a day since I've known her! Argh. What is a leader if he can't get any sleep? I'm going to need to push her out of my mind so I can really get a well-deserved good night's rest._

_So, I shall turn off the lights now and write tomorrow._

_Cheers,_

_Jay_


	3. Journal Entry 2

This is from Chaos 103. I decided to do this because it does include a slight JxT in it, and this is the early stages of his love, so well, why not include it? Since I have all the time in the world - for today, at least. Thankfully so, the episodes are still around. Typing late into the night sure does wonders for one's health. This fic is slightly longer than the first journal entry, but anyway... Please do review and let me know what you think and whether I should continue!

**Journal Entry 2**

_January 6_

_Dear Diary,_

_Odie alerted us of severe disasters that could strike the Earth because of Cronus' deadly rings. I don't know what all his fancy terms mean, but I sure know one thing - if we don't stop it, the world could be in danger! Wiping out everything ever known on the planet isn't say very nice, is it? And that's what we're here for - to stop this for good._

_We started on the hunt for Neil. Once again, I wondered what kind of person he was. Perhaps, like Theresa suggested, he was an invincible warrior who could solve all our problems? I definitely hoped so, because our time was running out, and I thought we might not be so lucky this time round. After all, the fate of the world rests in our hands. We had absolutely no time to waste, I sure wasn't letting Cronus win this game._

_We visited Aphrodite, Neil's mentor. The minute I saw her, I was dazed by her wondrous beauty. She was tall, slender and a blonde, with wavy long hair and an elegant look, an air of superiority and glamour surrounding her. I know I sound stupid, but it was true. It almost made me confused to what this hero we were searching for would be. I mean, Aphrodite was truly breath-taking, literally, but then, what kind of guy would she mentor exactly? Maybe it wasn't a warrior we were expecting after all._

_I'm not too sure what happened next because I was being way too blur and dreamy about everything, but did I hint jealousy in Theresa's tone as she tried to snap me out of it? I'm not sure, I've never been good at this sort of thing, but then she seemed a little annoyed - okay, make that _very_ annoyed - and she was busy waving her hand in front of my face. When I didn't respond, or just reacted with a glazed, stupid look, she actually pinched my ear and personally dragged me away. Okay, so I don't mind all the attention, but that sure hurt. Still, it _was_ kinda sweet to see some - ahem, concern. Maybe she's soft on me? _Yeah_, the day I become a great leader. Of course a beauty like her wouldn't be interested in a meagre guy like me, but it doesn't hurt to hope, does it?_

_We paid a visit to the Oracle next because Aphrodite didn't yield us much clues that could shine a light on Neil's whereabouts. I started to suspect he's some... Well, I didn't know then, but definitely not the heroic guy we were expecting. And I was right - he was a model. Gosh, not exactly someone we were hoping to find. Still, he would make us seven, and we needed him regardless of whether he's a model or a beggar or something. The Oracle told Theresa she could have found out herself, but he still helped anyway. I don't know what happened the next second after the Oracle grabbed her hand and lifted his round spectacles, but she let out a cry and stumbled backwards unsteadily. Naturally, I stepped forward and caught her in my arms before she could fall. Thankfully I did, if not she could have fallen onto the road. Now _that_ wouldn't be good. Strange enough, she had lingered in his arms a little longer than normal people would. Or maybe that was just my imagination or my wishful thinking. Or maybe, more embarrassingly so,_ I_ might have been the one who held her a little longer than necessary. Well, I shan't dwell on it anymore, hopefully she didn't notice a thing._

_The Oracle was right, Neil was at the trainyard. He was a model all right, a true blue one. Cronus, however, had whisked him away immediately and left his tough giants to deal with us. Seriously, I'm really lousy, at my first attack, I was already thrown onto the railway tracks and almost ran over. Thankfully, Atlanta saved me in the nick of time. Theresa never ceases to amaze me - now, gone are the doubts that she's a spoiled rich kid. Not only does she use those nunchucks powerfully, she came up with the brilliant idea to use the trains to their advantage. If only I could be half what she was, or maybe half of any of the other team members are. Then maybe I'll do much better at this. I'm starting to hate this role of leader, but it's a secret - just between you and me, Diary._

_Hephaestus sopped up Herry's truck, so now it's more powerful and it's got this real cool customized look. Herry was pretty happy about it, but I was a little too worried about the rings. I guess I dampened his mood a little, but I'm a leader, what am I supposed to say: "Hey, Herry, yeah, enjoy your truck, let's take it for a spin and forget Cronus today?" Obviously not. Being a leader is way harder than I thought it would be._

_Aphrodite told us what Neil was like, and he's actually a guy who is obsessed with his looks, just like Narcissus was. How nice. I was getting more and more dubious by the minute, but I didn't show it. This time, Aphrodite didn't make me swoon somehow - you know, I know this sounds crazy but could Theresa actually be more beautiful than Miss Aphrodite? I'm starting to think she could be! But of course, I'll never tell her, and she'll never know. Anyway, she had this vision when she touched Neil's shiny mirror, and she led us there to where Neil was. How many surprises she has in store for us, I'll never know, but it seems she's revealing her talents slowly, and there seems to be a lot that she's good at._

_We had another run-in with Cronus and we found Neil staring at his own reflection in a pool. Cronus was too hard for us to deal with, and even though Archie cut off his ear with his whip, it astonishingly just grew back! How are we supposed to defeat an immortal like him, I really have no idea. What did him in for that moment was that he slipped on a puddle of water Neil had created when he had fallen in and the god fell off the building. It looked pretty funny, but it was not the time for laughs and we needed to hurry. The earthquakes were starting, and there was no time to lose._

_We showed Neil the entrance and he just laughed disbelievingly. Well, alright, I don't blame him - what do you expect from a janitor's closet, anyway? I pulled out my pendant to show him, and he took out his to open the door. Later, Neil inspired Odie and gave him a brilliant idea. Okay, that guy is really very lucky. As in, a lucky charm, almost._

_We piled into Herry's modified truck and Odie started baffling us with all his scientific talk. I didn't get a word of what he was saying, but that doesn't matter. It was a lucky break that Neil inspired him though, although that guy's ego never seems to rest. We were attacked by Cronus and his weird-looking mutated monster, and we barely managed to scrape through. Herry rammed his truck into the monster's side, causing both evil god and monster to plummet to the water below. This is the second time Cronus took a falling today, but I wasn't laughing, because we had matters to attend to._

_Odie plugged in his computer to some solar panels and directed them to face the rays. We made it just in time - the light reflected and destroyed the ice in the rings totally, and the world was saved! I almost cheered, but I was too busy worrying about Cronus. Theresa demanded that I lighten up a little, but I can't fully, because our fight with Cronus has just begun, and we must be prepared to take him down at any time, any place._

_Initially, I was thinking of asking her to go out with him, but I decided against it. The last thing I need is a distraction right now. Maybe when we get rid of Cronus, I _will_ ask her, but right now, I shouldn't. I'll just get around to doing it someday though, that's for sure._

_Alright, I need to turn in for the night, shall write another day. Goodnight._

_Bummed out from Fighting,_

_Jay_


	4. Journal Entry 3

It's Man's Worst Enemy this time that I'm doing, and I've just watched it to remember what went on in the show. Okay, so as usual I will say I would greatly appreciate it if someone would review. I think that not many people are visiting the COTT section nowadays, but I really hope you can review. Oh yes, and in a random burst I decided to write the spelling of Herry's dog's name as Pepe. I have no idea why, but I'm not too sure about what its real spelling is so I thought I would write it in a weird way. Okay, so I know that Jay's journals are pretty boring, but that can't be helped since our leader is... Well, okay, I won't say _boring_ exactly, but then he's very straight-forward and most of the time, no-nonsense so you wouldn't expect his journal to be something like Odie's (which would be about techno stuff) or Archie's (which would be crammed with poetry). Just to let you know(:

**Journal Entry 3**

_January 12_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was yet another tiring day. It started off with Herry losing his dog, Pepe. I didn't know he had a dog, let alone a grandma, which Pepe belonged to. Neil, Odie, Herry and I visited the dog pound. Somehow, the dogs didn't look all too friendly. They look mutated - big, strong and fierce. They couldn't stop snarling and snapping and scaring us out of our wits. I was wondering what had gotten into these dogs, and later I would find out why._

_Minutes later, the dog pound guy brought a cage in and it had Pepe. I never did expect Pepe to look so... Scary, really. Herry had described her as a calm, cute, fluffy dog, but this dog looked pretty nasty to me. The dog pound guy didn't let Herry take her home because all the dogs were under quarantine. I think that guy was pretty right to do so, but anyway, Herry looked pretty disappointed as we trudged back to the truck and went back to the dorm._

_Odie started working on a metal collar to track where Pepe was going. Maybe then we could find the source that was attracting them. Archie burst through the door at that minute and we all dragged him to pick up the girls and bring them to the dog pound. We sneaked in, got Pepe and Herry placed the metal collar around Pepe and let her loose. When she had taken off in a flurry, we quickly followed her using Odie's tracker. We didn't need to look very far, because we found an amazing number of angry, wild dogs - and they were all snapping at our heels. We ended up fighting them, and suddenly we found them running away._

_Okay, the next thing I'm going to say is probably going to scare you. A huge monster suddenly stepped out of the bushes. It had three heads and a tail like a snake or something. It was gruesome, not to mention huge, and it towered above us all. I felt puny and tiny compared to its size. Of course, as they say, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall", but it wasn't the case. I got out my xiphos and I tried to fight it but the next second I found my sword being flung out of my hand, it falling to the ground with a thunk right behind me. In desperation, I tried to reach it but I couldn't because that huge monster, which turned out to be Cerberus, held me back. I turned back to look, and thankfully, he didn't eat me or anything. However, it did turn one of its head fast enough to send its spit flying onto my face, right over my eyes. It was gooey, wet and sticky. A total yuck!_

_Archie cut off Cerberus' tail but it just grew back immediately. We finally wised up and decided to make a break for it and we began running helter-skelter with a huge not-dog on our heels. Talk about frightening. We saw this gate out of nowhere, and as quick as lightning we clambered over it, escaping those sharp, long teeth by seconds. That was the scariest thing I ever faced in my life, and I had no idea what it was at that point in time. If I had known, I'm sure I'd be even more freaked out._

_We went to consult Chiron, who told us that it was Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Alright, so a good question would be to ask how in the world did he get up here in Earth? The only logical conclusion I had deduced was that it had something to do with Cronus, as usual. The problem was, the only thing to calm that savage beast was cake and music. Cake might distract it, but then it was the music of the lyre which was the most effective, because it could put said creature to sleep. I was starting to think this was an impossible task because hardly anyone plays the lyre nowadays when Theresa admitted shyly that she played the lyre. How many things does that girl know how to do? Well, anyway, we had to go to get Orpheus' lyre from the Elysian fields as that lyre is magical. I had no idea how to get to the Underworld because Chiron wanted those secret passageways there to remain hidden, and Theresa came up with a plan - to go ask Persephone._

_We did ask her, but it had negative consequences. The normally calm and elegant goddess suddenly turned a pale teal blue and her eyes flamed with anger. She really scared me there. Seems like she's got a split personality or something. She didn't want us to go because the Underworld is not a place for us to go. She also told us that she would be going to see her darling hubby later to ask him why Cerberus is loose._

_Okay, so it was bad of us to sneak in when Persephone entered the secret passageway which was guarded by the Horae, but it was for the Earth's sake! But still, I can't stop feeling a teensy guilty for breaking the rules. I also felt a twinge of awkwardness as I squeezed my way through. One of the Horae nudged me and gave me a girlish laugh, followed by the others. Alright, so was I imagining things or were the Horae flirting with me? Nah, it couldn't be. Anyway, even if they were interested in me, I think I'll stick to Theresa. She's the one who dominates my dreams anyway._

_We walked past a bunch of trees and we saw a bag of money hanging on one of the branches. Theresa grabbed it and smiled. Persephone probably left it there for us, she hinted. Although I have no idea why Persephone would want to leave us money to give to Charon, the boat-rowwer of the Underworld's waters, I sure was grateful for it. Hopefully it _had_ been meant for us and no one else, if not... Well, I wasn't up to facing another round of her wrath, that was for sure. So we snagged it, Theresa dropped some shiny gold coins in Charon's hand and away we went._

_When we reached there, I found a metal chain broken. I immediately guessed that this was - or rather, had been - Cerberus' chains that held it. This obviously had Cronus written all over it. True enough, when Theresa entered the Underworld, Cronus appeared and locked Theresa in, leaving Archie and I trying to open the gates but to no avail. I ordered her to get the lyre when Cronus told her, "Bring me the lyre and I won't hurt your friends." We waited for Theresa to come back and we didn't attack Cronus. Okay, so maybe we should have, but I was too busy worrying about how Theresa was faring there in the Elysian Fields. What if Orpheus refused to hand over the lyre, or if he got nasty? Okay, so maybe a poetic fellow like him wouldn't go all angry on Theresa, but still, there were unforeseen stuff there that I wouldn't know about, and it didn't hurt to worry, did it?_

_Soon, she reappeared at the gates with the lyre, and in one piece too. I sighed in relief - inwardly, of course - and Cronus opened the gates and demanded the lyre. Seeing Charon approaching us on his rickety old boat, I commanded her to get into the boat and wait for us while we dealt with this annoying bad guy. We fought, Archie stole one of Cronus' sycthes but he summoned it back. So much for the idea of defeating him. He was nearly invincible, and for the thousandth time I wondered, and doubted, how seven teenagers could stand in his way. He probably saw us as irritating fleas by now._

_Thankfully, a blond man burst through the gates and a huge number of souls drifted out, starting to attack Cronus. I would have shouted a word of thanks but that blondie cried aloud, "Go, save yourselves and my beloved!" I was pretty shocked. "Beloved?" I muttered to myself as Archie and I hopped into the boat with surprisingly speed, leaving Cronus to tackle those souls. Later, I asked her what was up with the beloved business. Alright, okay so I admit I _was_ jealous, but only the slightest bit. But she turned around to tease me, saying, "You're not jealous, are you, Jay?" So well, I kept my big mouth shut from there._

_We got back just in time and Theresa played a sweet melody on the lyre, causing Cerberus to fall into a deep sleep. It seemed so easy, if only we had gotten that lyre earlier. Well, at least we stopped that monstrous beast from wrecking the city, and that's all that matters._

_Hades poofed his way to us and put those normal chains on the sleeping Cerberus. Theresa returned the lyre to him politely, but before that Hades left, he gave his rather girlish laughter and told Theresa that she made quite the impression on Orpheus. Wondering what was going on, I felt myself frown in annoyance. Okay, so what exactly had Orpheus done to her? Had he captivated her and stolen her heart with some beautiful melody or something? Jealousy pounded in my heart, but I forced it to the back of my mind. I guess there's nothing I can do._

_Well, Herry's got his Pepe back and I'm sure his grandma will be one pleased woman when she sees Pepe. We're going to return Pepe tomorrow to her. I wonder what Herry's grandma is like, but more importantly, I wonder what happened when Theresa ran off to the Elysian Fields. Okay, I guess there's no use pondering over what that Orpheus did to create such an impression on Theresa, I should go to sleep now. Bye, will write when Cronus appears again._

_Just a little Jealous,_

_Jay_

_P.S Great, I really can't get my mind off it. Looks like I'm going to be facing yet another sleepless night again. Sigh._


	5. Journal Entry 4

Here I present to you The Trojan Horse, courtesy of Jay's journal! Alright, well, it's not him writing, it's me, but you'll just have to contend with your imagination. Well, the reason why I wrote about Jay was because I could _so_ imagine him lying on his bed, holding a pencil and writing in his journal in a straightforward and clear-cut way. Whereas Archie would be the roundabout writing style coupled with some cool poetry. Okay, so maybe I should try that sometime.

By the way, Jay's journal entries are plentiful, and they're all when Cronus appears, but I'm just writing those that he wrote about Theresa. So those episodes without any memorable reaction between the two won't get written about. If I really try to write ALL of them, I'd die writing tons of chapters. Ahahas. After all, Jay's only looking at the journal entries that shows his like/love for Theresa. So why write the other ones out too?

This one has only slight mention of the JxT-sided romance, a teensy bit of AxA. This is really hard to do, because I have to watch, stop then type. Hopefully this is appreciated because this really swallows a lot of my time. Please review and let me know what you think! Okay, I know this chapter happens to be really long and seems pretty off-point. Plus, I keep re-using the same words because I can't think of any other words. Gah. So sorry. Hope you guys will just pardon it.

**Journal Entry 4**

_January 21_

_Dear Diary,_

_A lot of things have happened since our encounter with Pan. Yesterday, we went camping in the woods near Herry's grandma's house. It had been going pretty well when a grizzly bear lumbered out of the bushes unexpectedly and started to attack us. Armed with sticks, we had to face it or end up being its dinner. Alright, so maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do. We should have played dead, but I wasn't thinking straight. The only thing that was on my mind was Theresa facing danger. She had been the first one that bear attacked, and with a stick she tried to defend herself, but to no avail. I was too busy worrying for her and trying to think of some strategy to save her skin to even _think_ about playing dead. Well, a consolation would be that Atlanta, the best huntress I've ever known, didn't think of playing dead either, so I don't feel _that_ bad._

_Wrestling with the grizzly bear for a minute or two, I watched with bated breath as the bear angrily turned, throwing her aside easily like a ragged doll. I would have gone to see how she was, but I was too preoccupied with Odie researching how to stop grizzly bears. Thinking we might have a chance, I again watched helplessly as Herry started to engage in "combat" with the bear. Unfortunately, Odie came up with the wrong research - teddy bears. So much for the hope of a good save. Thankfully, Hermes appeared and saved the day with his staff. He calls it a caduceus, whatever that is. It stopped the bear immediately, who went off._

_I scratched my head at Herme's sudden appearance. Well, I guess he does that pretty often. Strangely, Hermes decided to stick around. That's pretty weird, considering how Hermes is, after all, a god. I didn't know gods liked camping. And I didn't know they liked stars, either. After dinner, he showed us some cool constellations. I don't really remember what he showed us, but I think it was Jason and the Argonauts. My ancestors. I've always been fascinated with that legend - which turns out not to be merely a legend - and the stars. This camp was turning out to be decidedly good, despite the run-in with the grizzly bear._

_Odie took out his handy laptop, earning a jeering from Neil. The others laughed, but I didn't. I guess _someone_ had to go to Odie's defense, and that would be me. I asked Neil to back off. I don't get why Neil is so egoistical still. A model, yes, a descendant of Narcissus, definitely yes, but a hero? Nope. Not the heroic, superhero-in-tights type. Oh well, but I guess that's just a stereotype. Hermes decided to leave us to our good camping time, but not before leaving his caduceus with Odie should any wild animals make another appearance. It must have been heavy, for Odie struggled to hold it._

_Hardly had Hermes left than a tree trunk came flying over our heads, barely missing us. Giants came out from behind the bushes. The prediction from Theresa a few seconds ago had been rather useless; it hadn't really helped us to be better prepared. Seems like Cronus has become an integral part of our lives now, and I didn't like that one bit. A little enjoyable camping experience, and he just had to ruin it. Great. I almost got hit but Herry sent me to safety in a flying tackle. Thank goodness I have such great friends. Meanwhile, Odie was jabbing the staff insistently, trying to get it to work against the giant. It didn't work, however, and to my horror, the giant grabbed him, took the staff and casually flung Odie away. I was beside myself in worry as I saw Odie slam into a nearby tree, and, groaning, slid to the floor. I was at his side in a minute. I ignored the giants, who had taken what they had come for and were leaving. Archie was desperate about getting Hermes' caduceus back, but all I could think about was Odie and how his condition was. Who cared about the giants? My friends came first, and I was not leaving Odie stranded here, alone and injured. We quickly brought him back to the school as fast as we could._

_The next day, as the team waited outside in the hall for Odie to come out, I felt so guilty. If I had predicted it all, Odie wouldn't have been injured like that. It had been extremely possible that Cronus would launch yet another attack when our defenses were low. And yet I still had let my guard down last night, allowing his giants, normally easy to defeat, to snatch the staff and injure Odie. I was such a lousy leader. Theresa kept telling me I wasn't at fault, but she didn't know. She didn't know what it felt to be a leader, where everyone's welfare was solely your responsibility. I appreciated her concern, but at the same time, I knew I was really to blame this time._

_I felt so withdrawn. I couldn't chill - Odie could have been killed. Odie waltzed in then, looking as good as new. Everyone gathered around happily, seeing that he was perfectly fine. I guess I was being a mood-dampener, standing solitary by the wall quietly and not greeting him, but I was too busy fretting about my wrong. Odie looked a little downcast as he said his self-esteem would probably never be the same again, much to my guilt. Okay, he was taking jabs at my conscience. Not that it was his fault; it definitely wasn't._

_Later, Archie, Atlanta, Herry, Neil, Theresa and I were discussing about what to do next. Atlanta and Archie started arguing, insisting on their own ways of a follow-up. They really do bicker like a old married couple. Seeing how much Archie likes her, maybe that would be a possible scene in years to come. But wait, there's still Atlanta to reckon with. I don't know about her, she does seem to be attracted to Archie a little, but who knows whether she thinks him as a crush or just a friend. Whatever that is, they were quarreling as usual. Neil didn't help matters by suggesting Odie facing it alone. Of _course_ I said no. We're a team, we stick together._

_Atlanta and Archie were just taking votes to see who had the majority on their side when Odie came through the door, looking over at us. He asked us what we had been talking about. Alright, we all didn't know what to say, and an uncomfortable silence stung the atmosphere. Odie must have realised, for he said, "Oh, you guys were talking about me." He said it with such force that I felt my conscience prick me again. It wasn't that I thought Odie was a freak of some sort, or an inferior being, I just didn't know what to say at that point in time, and so it seemed that the others didn't either._

_Odie pulled something out and showed it to us. It was a piece of the cacudeus that had been broken off. He had pocketed it quietly when he was feeling faint the day before. Neil once again wanted to boot Odie out and let him search and retrieve the staff alone but of course I wouldn't allow it. I guess I didn't use much of the appropriate words when I said Odie needed protection because an insulted look came over my friend's face and he marched over to me, flaring up in anger. I was rather confused because it just wasn't like Odie to get mad that easily, especially with me. He started yelling at me for thinking that he was fragile or something. I told him gingerly that I hadn't meant it that way, and he retorted with, "Oh, then what did you mean?" I responded, stuttering lousy answers. The words seemed to be stuck in my throat, and I didn't know what to say to calm down my friend. Odie starting ranting about how we all thought him as a weakling and everything, leaving us speechless as we stared at him pacing up and down in an agitated way. And finally, he told us that this was his problem and that he would deal with it himself. And with that sudden speech, he left to tell Hermes what had happened. I bowed my head in guilt, not daring to call him to come back, yet not wanting to let Odie face Hermes alone. What a coward I was being, yet I couldn't stop myself._

_After a while, Hermes emerged from the doors and I immediately tried to tell him it had all been my fault. Hermes seemed not to hear me, for he went on that there was a serious issue. On the plus side, the staff had been broken, meaning it was useless... But there was a catch. Although I promised we'd get it back, Hermes told us that part of our strength came from our fellowship and that we were all in great danger. Clueless, I raised my eyebrow at Hermes and asked him what he was talking about. Odie appeared, telling us that he was off the team. Gasping, I stared at Hermes with a wide-eyed expression on my face. I felt the words "You can't kick Odie off the team!" rise indignantly from my mouth as I continued gaping at Hermes. I never thought he'd do something drastic like that, and I was right, because Odie followed up with a declaration that he had just quit. Officially quit the team. We were all shocked, to say the least._

_As Odie left for the portal, I tried to stop him, but Odie told me to leave him alone. Trying to stop him, my attempt was ruined by Archie, who came running down the hall, yelling to me that Hera wanted to see us. With no choice but to leave Odie, I returned with Archie. Rubbing my head ruefully, I told Hera emphatically with some determination that I knew I could get Odie to change his mind. However, Hera forbade me to try, letting frustration grow in my insides. I couldn't accept that, most definitely. Hera told me some nonsense about how a good leader must know when to retreat, and not watching my tongue, I argued back that that meant I wasn't anything near a good leader. Okay, so that made Hera change Neil to the team leader. Her decision made everyone gape in shock, even me. Neil wouldn't know how to handle a sword even if he _had_ one. All he had was a trusty, shining mirror for him to pick his teeth. I seriously hated Hera at that moment, but I kept my mouth shut. Even_ I_ knew when to stop; not to go too far and anger the gods. Steaming furiously inside, I sarcastically wished Neil good luck when Theresa asked me to do something and left without another word._

_I reached the dorm just as Odie came out. I asked him whether I could talk to him for a second in the hope that I could get him to change his mind. But, Odie wouldn't let me. He had just put one foot on the road when I saw a vehicle approaching at a deadly speed. With a cry of "Look out!" I grabbed him by his loose, red jacket and pulled him backwards at last minute, thereby saving his life. However, instead of the gratitude I was expecting, Odie slapped my hand away and snapped indignantly, "What do you think you're doing?" Temporarily at a lost for words, I stammered again for the second time that day, uncertainty clouding my mind. Was this the Odie I had come to know over the past few days? I told him I thought he had been in danger, and Odie replied angrily, jabbing a finger at my chest. The rest was unheard as I watched, grim and guilty, as Odie got into a limo that just drew up by the walkway._

_Swallowed up by confusion, hurt and guilt, I found myself sitting on a bench in the park. It overlooked the clear water of the lake, but my heart was too heavy to enjoy the view. My head in my hands, I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt someone flick my ear with astonishing pressure. That hurt, and I turned my head to see Theresa looking antsy. She said a lot of things about the team falling apart, and the team needing me, and things I just didn't want to hear. Finally, I let my sorrows pour out. I confessed to her that I felt everything that had happened lately was my fault and I should have been prepared. Hearing it come out of my mouth itself struck me with a sudden, painful blow at such a terrible leader I was. I had been half-accepting the truth and half-running away from reality. I put my hands over my ears as though I could block out all the pain from the realization I felt and what Theresa was saying - something about I couldn't have been prepared for the unknown. However, her words did seep into my head and I thought about it for a moment._

_Suddenly, a cry pierced the air and I looked up, anxious to see who was screaming. A little boy was drowning in the lake. Without hesitation, I dashed to the lake and dived into it with all my clothes on. Heavy as the load was, I immediately swam over to the boy's side with Theresa running to the lake and gazing in worry. She pulled the other boy who had almost fallen into the lake as well. All wet, I grabbed the little boy and began making my way to the edge of the lake. Theresa helped pull the little boy out as well and the boys, now smiling cheerfully, walked away, safe and sound and in one piece._

_Theresa started pep-talking me and saying that I was a hero and that it was in my blood. I responded that being a hero didn't make me a leader. The next thing that happened was unexpected as well. Oh well, I should have seen it coming, from the way I had been tearing myself down inadvertently and getting on Theresa's nerves, who had been trying to encourage me all this while. In a fit of anger, she pushed me into the lake and I, surprised, crashed into the water, feeling embarrassed at how I'd been acting. Clambering out of the lake and seeing Theresa stalk away, I realised that I'd been too obsessed about how lousy I was. Sure, I was lousy, but for now, I had to put that aside and concentrated on the main tasks. I had been too busy thinking about my faults that I had strayed from my objective. That sure was a good wake-up call for me. Sending a silent thank-you to Theresa in my head even though I knew she couldn't have heard it, I suddenly saw one of Cronus' giants in the woods._

_Senses on the alert, I ran over to a tree and, ducking behind it with water dripping off my light bangs, I gasped when I saw what was happening. I couldn't believe my eyes. Before me stood Odie, and he was talking with the giant!_

_I immediately rushed back to the school after changing into a new set of dry, comfortable clothes. The others were all shocked and disbelieving when they heard what I just said. At that crucial moment, Neil appeared at the door, looking proud in a new but weird outfit that I presumed was a sailing captain's outfit. He held several bags, looking like a plain idiot. He came over, smiling broadly, and he started handing out the "snazzy new outfits" he had snagged for us. I could almost shake him for being so distracted from our task. Then again, I remembered how badly I'd acted just a while ago, and I decided to keep my big mouth shut - at least for now, anyway. But still, it didn't help when Neil was showing off his ridiculous captain's hat. I almost wanted to scream at the interruption, but again I held back the harsh words I knew were going to lash out at Neil if I didn't control my emotions. Theresa gave me a knowing look as I watched uncertainly at the scene before me - Herry was pulling on his new, green, alien-looking suit and Archie and Atlanta were quarreling again about who was qualified to lead the team. Giving Theresa a grimace, I decided to take control of the situation._

_I told them what I suspected - that Cronus needed the other piece of the staff for some reason, and he needed Odie to steal it for him. Archie replied a little dubiously about how he was sure about this. I felt a little twinge of self-doubt eat at me, but I pushed it away and made up my mind to trust myself on this. I only had my gut on this, but I had a pretty good feeling that I was right, and I wasn't going to let my inner self's mistrust ruin this. Happy to see my teammates were all behind me, except for Neil who was doing something annoying with his appearance again, I started to plan a trap, something that we finished on time._

_Right on my suspicions, we found Odie searching furiously through Hermes' drawers. "Looking for something?" I smiled smugly at him, holding up the piece of the caduceus at him, only to have it pried from my fingers. I glared at the overbearing Neil for acting so captain-ish over this whole thing. Apparently, he still thought he was in-charge. Well, he was wrong, utterly wrong. Theresa's wake-up call had awakened my inner fire that had laid dormant over this past few days. I was the leader, and regardless of whether I was a trashy one or not, this time, I would do this right._

_Odie stuttered, finding a lame excuse as I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The whole team continued to stare at him quietly, a frown on their faces. Go team! I almost silently yelled, inwardly proud that we were standing as one, a united team again. We blocked him from leaving, a fierce expression on our faces. Odie threatened us, but Neil just mocked at him laughingly. Neil even told Herry to take Odie. I tried to hold Herry back, but my orders were overruled by the "big guy". I couldn't believe it, Neil wanted us to take down our own friend! Well, Odie had _been_ a friend, and now he wasn't, but I was sure I could change him. But it was too late._

_Our jaws dropped when we saw Herry charge apologetically and Odie easily flip him with so much strength that rivalled Herry's. So Odie had an upgrade in strength, I figured. And this was turning out to be a mighty problem. Neil started freaking out and he grabbed my hand and pressed the broken piece into it. He told me that he was giving me a battlefield promotion and that I should feel free to take over... But he was still keeping the captain's hat though. I gave him a pointed look - not that I wanted the _hat_, duh. He was seriously driving me up the wall, but I didn't have time to think about that at that moment._

_Atlanta threw her bolas expertly at Odie, but he just caught them and swung them back at her. Archie used his whip menacingly on him as well, but he just caught it smartly and swung Archie into Herry. Theresa and Neil, in a united effort, tried to hold him down, but Odie was way too strong for them and he flung them to his sides. Now I was the only one left standing. Holding up the piece, I waited till Odie ran to me and was almost upon me when I cried for Neil to catch it and threw it in the air. Neil caught it but almost lost his grip on it. Theresa grabbed it._

_But Odie came over to me and put his arm around my neck, threatening to suffocate me. I shouted to her not to give it to Odie because he was bluffing, and Odie tightened his grip on me, causing me to let out a strangled cry of pain. Theresa looked pained and torn, and in the end, she closed her eyes and with an apology to me, she threw it to Odie. I have no idea why she did that, and I had mixed feelings of irritation and gratefulness. I couldn't blame her really; if she had been in my position and I in hers, I think I would have done the same. Odie promptly picked the piece up from the ground and rushed out of the door._

_I still rubbed my neck gingerly and commanded the team to follow. We were too late - Cronus got the piece from Odie's hand and he put it back with the caduceus. And there, it was fixed, just like that. I gaped in horror as I watched him hold in high to the skies. Cronus, seeing us standing by, obviously thought Odie had betrayed him. Odie replied angrily that he didn't betray Cronus and asked sarcastically what he could do to prove his loyalty. Cronus smirked evilly and told Odie to destroy us. I was open-mouthed in shock as Odie pressed the button and called the griffins. I gazed up at the sky, which currently filled with mean-looking griffins, in terror and was grimly all-ready for the attack. Odie pointed the staff at us and yelled for them to attack. We all braced ourselves for what was going to follow when..._

_Odie suddenly turned and commanded the griffens to attack Cronus! With his guard let down, Cronus suffered the wrath of the claws of the griffins. They carried him away with a last "NOOOO!" from the evil god of time._

_Odie, still holding the staff, almost dropped it when Hermes flew to him and caught it right on time. I smiled, happy that Odie hadn't really been evil. So okay, Odie had been inspired by the story of the Trojan Horse and he had been the decoy. He hadn't wanted to risk putting us in danger, but we kept running his plan time and time again by showing up. Okay, so I guess we were really persistent today. Odie ended up with, "Some friends you are." Everyone was miffed at what he said, but... Then a smile crossed his face and he added, "The best."_

_And so, that's how the day ended - perfect and all._

_And today, I learnt to trust my teammates more, as well as myself. I haven't exactly come to terms with how bad I am, but at least now I know I'm needed - well, somewhat. And I'm going to strive to be the best team leader I can ever be. With such good friends around, I shouldn't disappoint them. I wouldn't - couldn't - bear to._

_And Theresa - she really helped me today. I guess this isn't a crush any longer - I think... I'm falling in love. But I can't be sure. Anyway, I won't let her know - not just yet. I'll keep it from her first. I think she really trusted me, and I'm really touched by that, as well as thankful for her wake-up call. You know, I think I'm starting to fall for her - really hard. Oh well._

_Alright, I'm off to sail. Will write again another time._

_Yours Faithfully,_

_Jay_


End file.
